Stranger Things vs. The OA

By Georgia Bowers

2016 was dire apart from Netflix. Thank goodness for Stranger Things, winning us over with excellent characters and making us yearn for a time when Bowie was still alive and Brexit wasn’t a thing. Then came another genre bending show, The OA. We scoffed that a series about a girl with extraordinary abilities could be as good as watching Dustin and co. but we gave it a go and we were hooked.

People have been comparing the two, and there are even theories that the shows are linked somehow (if this is true please can OA go to a different dimension and save Bennie?), so it only seems natural to put the two up against each other and see which comes out on top. Major spoilers lie ahead, so if you haven’t seen either show, stop reading this and go and crack open Netflix.

Girls with special powers

One’s a number, the other is letters. One scoffs Eggos, the other ingests birds. If Eleven and OA were Top Trump cards, Eleven would win on all skills and abilities. She can flip vans, make bullies pee themselves, and float Millennium Falcons. OA claims she has special powers but we’ve only seen them during her storytelling. We haven’t witnessed her do anything extraordinary, unless biting a dog or taking lots of baths is considered extraordinary.

Verdict: Sorry, OA, but you’ve not done enough to impress us yet.

Stranger Things: 5/5

The OA: 2/5

Shock bad guys

Eleven’s happily eating ice cream, when an official looking lady appears at Bennie’s and says she’s from child services. Come on in, says Bennie, then bam! Jefferson Airplane cranks up, all hell breaks loose, and we’re having palpitations. Is it just us or was it a little more obvious who the bad guy was in The OA? “Smells like rock.” Yes, it does smell like rock, OA, BECAUSE YOU ARE BEING LED INTO A CAVE BY A DEATH EATER.

Verdict: We’re still not over the shock of losing Bennie.

Stranger Things: 4/5

The OA: 3/5

Misfits Assemble

We heart Mike, Dustin, and Lucas! We rooted for them as they searched for Will and we felt like we were riding on BMXs and talking on walkie-talkies with them. OA assembled her own motley crew, but we just haven’t got to know them as well as we’d like.

Verdict: We wanted to see more of Buck and Jesse. Plus, The OA doesn’t have a Dustin.

Stranger Things: 5/5

The OA: 3/5

Papa

Both girls have a ‘papa’. Okay, so Eleven’s is a psychotic scientist who probably kidnapped her the moment she was born and OA’s is Russian Barney Stinson, but they both have them.

Verdict: OA’s papa made her wade into a frozen lake, but it was for her own good. Eleven’s papa made her torture cats, which isn’t good for anyone.

Stranger Things: 2/5

The OA: 4/5

Educators we believe in

Mr. Clarke encourages those nerds to open curiosity doors, and doesn’t hang up on Dustin when he calls during his date (maybe he should have said he was eating a sandwich). But The OA has Betty Broderick-Allen, aka BBA. Wow. We weren’t sure at first and thought she was going to be the Sherriff of Nottingham to OA’s merry men, but she became the heart of the group and we just adore her.

Alternate dimensions and Many-Worlds Interpretation

They both use board games to illustrate other dimensions. In Stranger Things, we get to see the Upside Down curtesy of Nancy crawling through a slimy tree hole (why, Nancy, why would you do that?!), and we see OA hanging out with Khatun in a jellyfish and firefly infested room.

Verdict: Stranger Things had Mr. Clarke to explain MWI, and frankly, we’re still confused about what Hap and OA are going on about.

Stranger Things: 4/5

The OA: 3/5

Gratuitous nudity

Um, why are we seeing Steve and that girl naked, exactly?

Verdict: Call us prudish but the bonking almost put us off.

Stranger Things: 5/5

The OA: 0/5

Final Score:Stranger Things wins with 28 to The OA’s 20, but this could all change when we see season two of both shows.

Right, we’re off to write some Dustin and Buck fanfic. See you in the Upside Down/another dimension!

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Georgia Bowers

Georgia's real life job is being a librarian, and her fantasy life job is being a YA fiction author. She is a Buffy the Vampire Slayer enthusiast, but sometimes cheats on Buffy with the Salvatore brothers. She would need some extra fingers to count the number of fan conventions she's been to, but has time for other stuff too. Especially silly stuff. She is 5 foot 3 (same height as Buffy).